Multi-staged internal combustion engine

A multi-staged internal combustion engine comprising:

• driven means mounted for rotation in the engine:
• pre-compression means including a pre-compression cylinder and a pre-compression piston in the pre-compression cylinder, piston connecting means between the pre-compression piston and the driven means, the pre-compression cylinder receiving a fuel/air mixture and compressing the fuel/air mixture;
• accumulator means connected to the pre-compression cylinder for receiving the compressed fuel/air mixture;
• heat exchanger means for cooling the fuel/air mixture of the accumulator means;
• combustion means including combustion chamber means and a combustion piston in the combustion chamber means, rod connecting means between the combustion piston and the driven means, the combustion chamber means being connected to the heat exchanger means for receiving the fuel/air mixture, the combustion piston compressing the fuel/air mixture which is then ignited to create combustion products which expand to drive the combustion piston and thereby rotate the driven means;
• and
• post-expansion means including a post-expansion cylinder and a post-expansion piston in the post expansion cylinder, and means for attaching the post-expansion piston to the driven means, the post-expansion cylinder receiving combustion products at elevated pressure from the combustion chamber means, wherein the pressure of the combustion products pushes the post-expansion piston to drive the driven means.

A multi-staged internal combustion engine, comprising:

• means for compressing a working fluid, including a pre-compression cylinder and a pre-compression piston in the pre-compression cylinder;
• means for cooling the working fluid which has exited the compressing means;
• combustion chamber means for receiving working fluid previously conditioned by the compressing means and cooling means, further compressing the working fluid, and combusting the working fluid to drive the engine;
• means for utilizing exhaust from the combustion chamber means to drive the engine through expansion of the exhaust, including a post-expansion cylinder and a post-expansion piston in the post-expansion cylinder, wherein the pre-compression cylinder and the post-expansion cylinder are co-axial and form a dual cylinder, the pre-compression piston comprising one side of a dual piston within the dual cylinder, the post-expansion piston comprising the other side of the dual piston within the dual cylinder;
• and
• driven means mounted for rotation in the engine, wherein the combustion chamber means includes a combustion chamber and a combustion piston in the combustion chamber, and rod connecting means between the combustion piston and the driven means, wherein the combustion piston compresses the working fluid which is then ignited to create combustion products which expand to drive the combustion piston and thereby drive the driven means.

An internal combustion engine, comprising:

• a pre-compression cylinder including a pre-compression cylinder head and having a pre-compression piston therein;
• drive means connected to the pre-compression piston for reciprocating the pre-compression piston between movement toward and away from the pre-compression cylinder head, the pre-compression cylinder receiving a fuel/air mixture during the movement of the pre-compression piston away from pre-compression cylinder head, the pre-compression piston compressing the fuel/air mixture;
• an accumulator connected to the pre-compression cylinder and receiving the compressed fuel/air mixture from the pre-compression cylinder;
• a heat exchanger attached to the accumulator for cooling the fuel/air mixture from the accumulator;
• a plurality of combustion chambers each including a combustion chamber head, and a combustion piston in each combustion chamber connected to the drive means, each combustion piston reciprocating between movement toward and away from the respective combustion chamber head, each combustion chamber being connected to the heat exchanger for receiving the fuel/air mixture during a movement of the respective combustion piston away from the combustion chamber head, the combustion piston compression the fuel/air mixture which is subsequently ignited to create combustion products which expand to drive the combustion piston from the combustion chamber head to drive the drive means;
• and
• a post-expansion cylinder, and a post-expansion piston connected to the drive means and positioned for reciprocating movement within the post-expansion cylinder, wherein the post-expansion cylinder receives exhaust gases from the combustion chambers to drive the drive means.

An internal combustion engine, comprising:

• at least two combustion chambers each having a combustion piston reciprocating toward and away from a closed off end;
• drive means in the engine and connecting means between the combustion pistons and the drive means for converting reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotary motion of the drive means;
• a pre-compression piston mounted for reciprocation in a pre-compression cylinder, the pre-compression cylinder having a closed head end, second connecting means between the pre-compression piston and the drive means for reciprocating the pre-compression piston in the pre-compression cylinder whereby the piston draws a fuel/air mixture into the pre-compression cylinder when the pre-compression piston moves away from the head and compresses the fuel/air mixture when it moves toward the head;
• a heat exchanger connected by passage means to the pre-compression cylinder for cooling the fuel/air mixture;
• intake duct means extending from the heat exchanger to the combustion chambers;
• a post-expansion piston mounted for reciprocation in a post-expansion cylinder, third connecting means for connecting the post-expansion piston to the drive means for reciprocating the post-expansion piston 180.degree. out-of-phase with the combustion pistons;
• post-expansion duct means connecting the combustion chambers with the post-expansion cylinder;
• and
• outlet valve means for each combustion chamber in the post-expansion duct means for alternatively closing or opening the post-expansion duct means and, control means for opening the outlet valve means when the combustion products are still expanding in the combustion chamber so that some of the expansion of the combustion products takes place in the post-expansion cylinder to move the post-expansion piston against its connecting means to drive the drive means.

A multi-stage internal combustion engine, comprising:

• combustion chamber means including at least two combustion chambers each having a combustion piston reciprocating within a respective combustion cylinder, wherein fuel is injected into the combustion chambers;
• drive means in the engine connected to the combustion pistons for converting reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotary motion of the drive means;
• first pre-compression means driven by the drive means for compressing air prior to its being drawn into the combustion chamber means;
• first accumulator means connected to the first pre-compression means by first duct means, the first accumulator means storing compressed air at an elevated pressure;
• first heat exchanger means for cooling the air exiting the first accumulator means;
• second pre-compression means connected by second pre-compression intake means to the first accumulator means, the second pre-compression means being driven by the drive means for further compressing the air;
• second accumulator means connected by second duct means to the second pre-compression means, the second accumulator means storing the further compressed air at an elevated pressure;
• second heat exchanger means connected by second passage means to the second accumulator means, the second heat exchanger means heating the air;
• intake duct means extending from the second heat exchanger means to the combustion chamber means for introducing the further compressed air into the combustion chambers;
• and
• post-expansion means connected by post-expansion duct means to the combustion chamber means, the post expansion means utilizing exhaust from the combustion chamber means to drive the drive means through expansion of the exhaust;
• wherein the exhaust from the post-expansion means provides means for heating the air of the second heat exchanger means.

A method of operation of an internal combustion engine, the steps comprising:

• compressing a working fluid;
• temporarily storing the working fluid that was compressed;
• cooling the temporarily stored, compressed working fluid;
• further compressing the working fluid within a combustion chamber, igniting the further compressed working fluid and expanding the products of combustion against a piston in the combustion chamber to drive the engine;
• and
• transferring a portion of the expanding combustion products to a post-expansion cylinder to expand against a post-expansion piston in the post-expansion cylinder to further drive the engine.

A multi-staged internal combustion engine, comprising:

• means for compressing a working fluid;
• means for cooling the working fluid which has exited the compressing means;
• accumulator means connected to the compressing means for receiving and storing the compressed working fluid prior to its being conditioned by the cooling means;
• combustion chamber means for receiving working fluid previously conditioned by the compressing means and cooling means, further compressing the working fluid, and combusting the working fluid to drive the engine, wherein the combustion chamber means includes a plurality of combustion chambers each including a combustion chamber head, and a combustion piston in each combustion chamber connected to engine drive output means, each combustion piston reciprocating between movement toward and away from the respective combustion chamber head, each combustion chamber being fluidly connected with the cooling means for receiving the working fluid during a movement of the respective combustion piston away from the combustion chamber head, the combustion piston compressing the working fluid which is subsequently ignited to create combustion products which expand to drive the combustion piston from the combustion chamber head to drive the engine drive output means;
• and
• means for utilizing exhaust from the combustion chamber means to drive the engine through expansion of the exhaust.

A multi-staged internal combustion engine, comprising:

• means for compressing a working fluid;
• means for cooling the working fluid which has exited the compressing means;
• combustion chamber means for receiving working fluid previously conditioned by the compressing means and cooling means, further compressing the working fluid, and combusting the working fluid to drive the engine, including a plurality of combustion chambers each including a combustion chamber head, and a combustion piston in each combustion chamber connected to engine drive output means, each combustion piston reciprocating between movement toward and away from the respective combustion chamber head, each combustion chamber being fluidly connected with the cooling means for receiving the working fluid during a movement of the respective combustion piston away from the combustion chamber head, the combustion piston compressing the working fluid which is subsequently ignited to create combustion products which expand to drive the combustion piston from the combustion chamber head to drive the engine drive output means;
• and
• means for utilizing exhaust from the combustion chamber means to drive the engine through expansion of the exhaust;
• wherein the compressing means includes a pre-compression cylinder and a pre-compression piston positioned for reciprocating movement therein, wherein the means for utilizing exhaust from the combustion chamber means to drive the engine through expansion of the exhaust includes a post-expansion cylinder, a post-expansion piston connected to the drive means and positioned for reciprocating movement within the post-expansion cylinder, wherein the post-expansion cylinder receives exhaust gasses from the combustion chambers to drive the engine drive output means, and wherein the working fluid in each of the combustion chambers is ignited every 720 degrees of rotation of the engine drive output means, each combustion piston being 360 degrees out-of-phase with the other.

A multi-staged internal combustion engine, comprising:

• means for compressing a working fluid, including a pre-compression cylinder and a pre-compression piston in the pre-compression cylinder;
• means for cooling the working fluid which has exited the compressing means;
• combustion chamber means for receiving working fluid previously conditioned by the compressing means and cooling means, and raising the temperature of the working fluid by means of combustion to drive the engine, wherein the combustion chamber means comprises two cylinders which undergo successively an intake, a compression, a combustion, an expansion and an exhaust in 720 degrees of engine rotation;
• and
• means for utilizing exhaust from the combustion chamber means to drive the engine through expansion of the exhaust, including a post-expansion cylinder and a post-expansion piston in the post-expansion cylinder, wherein the pre-compression cylinder and the post-expansion cylinder are co-axial and form a dual cylinder, the pre-compression piston comprising one side of a dual piston within the dual cylinder, the post-expansion piston comprising the other side of the dual piston within the dual cylinder.

A multi-staged internal combustion engine, comprising:

• driven means mounted for rotation in the engine;
• pre-compression means including a pre-compression cylinder and a pre-compression piston in the pre-compression cylinder, piston connecting means between the pre-compression piston and the driven means, the pre-compression cylinder receiving a fuel/air mixture and compressing the fuel/air mixture;
• heat exchanger means for cooling the compressed fuel/air mixture;
• accumulator means connected to the pre-compression cylinder for receiving the compressed fuel/air mixture;
• combustion means including combustion chamber means and a combustion piston in the combustion chamber means, rod connecting means between the combustion piston and the driven means, the combustion chamber means being connected to the accumulator means for receiving the fuel/air mixture, the combustion piston compressing the fuel/air mixture which is then ignited to create combustion products which expand to drive the combustion piston and thereby rotate the driven means;
• and
• post-expansion means including a post-expansion cylinder and a post-expansion piston in the post expansion cylinder, and means for attaching the post-expansion piston to the driven means, the post-expansion cylinder receiving combustion products at elevated pressure from the combustion chamber means, wherein the pressure of the combustion products pushes the post-expansion piston to drive the driven means.